​Regional Technical Assistance

While we have helped over 30 regions develop their regional innovation and smart specialisation strategies, these are only starting points.

Implementing these strategies means rolling out new measures. While some will be based on best practices, all must be adapted to local conditions. It takes new skills and careful resource management.

We have helped over 25 regions turn their strategy into action, including over 20 schemes for entrepreneurship support & technology transfer assistance, and over 10 new financial tools for funding innovation.

Along the way we have refined our technical implementation services into the following major activities:

Capacity Buildin​g​​​​​

Implementing a new innovation strategy requires new know-how, methodologies & tools. Building on META's extensive international experience, we empower cities and regional governments, development agencies, incubators and other actors to implement the strategy's measures.

Best practices research and adaptation analysis​​

We have tested, refined and adapted the necessary know-how, methodologies & tools – along with the associated training and change management processes - in over 20 regional assistance programmes.

Along the way we have identified many best practices. While this experience will always inform the strategy, each best practice must be analysed for analysed to see how it can be adapted and adopted to the region's specific context.

Feasibility studies for innovation infrastructures and tools​

Many of the measures set out in the strategy should be first developed into a business plan, which:

analyses its potential impact: what difference will it make, and how can this be improved over time?

Identifies metrics and monitoring processes to ensure performance can be measured

addresses sustainability: how can the new measure become self-sustaining once the strategy has been implemented?

Designing and running pilot projects

In many cases it is a good idea for a new measure to be piloted and tested before it is rolled out across the region. Pilot projects therefore build, test and refine prototype measures in an agile way. The findings are then used to improve both the specific measure and the overall strategy.

The above services are based on over 20 years of experience, helping over 100 Public Organizations with their innovation and entrepreneurialism strategies. To find out how META can help you, get in touch​.